


By Your Side

by Milos_ann



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Blood, Blood and Injury, Canon, Canon: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Fluff, Hurt, Hurt Edward Elric, Hurt/Comfort, Just a short fic. I have so many ideas but I wanted to do something to warm myself up, M/M, Parental Roy Mustang, There are like a million fics exactly like this but you can never have too much hurt/comfort, blood mentions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-04
Updated: 2019-06-04
Packaged: 2020-04-07 19:53:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19091992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Milos_ann/pseuds/Milos_ann
Summary: Edward was used to dealing with injuries by himself and hiding them as much as possible. He couldn't let Al worry about him and he was positive no one else would care. Plus, crawling to someone for help wasn't exactly in his nature. Ed was confident he could fix anything by himself, no matter the wound. But sometimes having someone there to help isn't always bad.





	By Your Side

**Author's Note:**

> I apologize if this is rough or crappy. I've been wanting to write a hurt fic for a while and this is just to warm me up for other fics. I did not proof read it yet, but I wanted to get it posted so I could move on to my next fic.

It had been a while since Edward Elric had done a solo mission. His brother was back in Rush Valley with Winry, as there had been threats of an attack there and Winry had refused to leave. Both of the Elrics were going to go to make sure the people there and Winry were okay, but after a lead on the philosopher's stone had popped up, Ed decided to chase the lead instead. He was still worried about his brother and mechanic, but Alphonse had promised that they would be okay and he would be able to handle anything that happened. He trusted Al more than anything, but that didn’t make his worries go away completely. He couldn’t help but think of everything that could go wrong, and he wouldn’t be there to save or help anyone. He would never admit his worries to anyone, though. Not even Al.

The mission wasn’t what Edward had been expecting. After learning from Colonel Mustang that the mission was in a farming village with a small population a few hours away from Central, he figured it would be fast and painless. The village seemed innocent and nothing specitialy bad was happening there. He’d gone feeling confident and relaxed, but he was proven wrong when the mission went south. The man with the stone had had two chiremas with him. On their own, Edward might have been able to defeat them, but the man with the stone didn’t make anything easier for him. He had managed to defeat all three of them, but the stone had broken. Essentially making the mission pointless.

The young alchemist couldn’t help but feel angry at himself, even though he knew it wasn’t his fault. It was yet another dead end that had wasted his time. On top of that, he had been left with a plethora of injuries from the two chiremas. His flesh arm had deep claw marks and his torso wasn’t much better, with several cuts, stab wounds, and gashes from the claws of the lion chimera. Ed had bandaged himself up on the train back to Central, telling himself he had had much worse in the past before. That this was nothing to whine about.

“At least Al isn’t here. I don’t have to hide anything from him.” He breathed out to himself as the train pulled up to the station.

Ed got off the train, feeling like his body was made out of lead. He practically had to drag himself out of the station and down the sidewalk to the hotel he was staying at. He felt hot and a bit feverish, unable to focus on anything around him. “Must be infected.” He mumbled to himself as he made it to the hotel, heading inside and up to his room as fast as his legs would carry him. He tossed his coat off, quickly getting into the bed and passing out.

Edward’s sleep was restless, as he shifted every so often as he tried to get comfortable. The room felt like an oven, no matter how many layers of blankets he kicked off and layers of clothes he shed. He ended up waking up with a jolt, sitting up in bed with labored breathing. He had had a nightmare about Alphonse being ripped apart by the chimeras and the blood seal being destroyed. It took him several minutes to calm down and remind himself that it was just a dream and that Al was perfectly fine in Rush Valley. Ed ran a hand over his face, letting out a shaky breath. The sheets that remained on the bed were soaked from sweat and blood, but he could hardly care. He thought about going to the bathroom to grab bandages to rewrap his wounds, though it seemed like too much effort. He instead shifted to lay on his back stiffly, falling asleep again.

The next time he woke up was when the sun was coming up and shining brightly into the room through the window. Ed let out a groan as the light shone in his face and eyes. Edward crossed his automail arm over his eyes, trying to let himself fall back asleep. He gave up after a few minutes, the pain coming from his stomach and arm getting worse. He pushed himself up into a sitting position, lazily looking over at the time.

“Damn. Already seven.” He cursed

Any other day, Ed would consider this still too early to be up yet and let himself fall back on the bed. But he knew he needed to get his report on the mission done and into Colonel Mustang’s hands by eight. He didn’t feel like having Mustang calling him five minutes after eight, bitching his ear off because he was late. He forced himself up, moving to hastily write the two page report. It took him longer than it normally would, as he was having a hard time concentrating. He had to stop every few minutes to give himself to focus again and reread through what he had already written to make sure that it was making sense. By the time he finished, he had ten minutes to get dressed and at Central. He had planned on at least redressing his wounds, but now he just made sure he was dressed decently before grabbing his report and heading out the door.

The walk to Central Command wasn’t easy. Sharp waves of pain washed over his body with every step, and even though it was approaching the winter season, Edward felt like he was trapped in the desert during a summer day. Sweat drenched his hair, and he was glad that his coat was red. It took him longer to get to the large building, and when he finally did arrive up the steep staircase, he was as pale as the papers clenched in his automail fist.  
Edward put his head down as he moved inside the building, hoping everyone would get the hint to leave him alone. But Maes Hughes still moved over to the young alchemist, smiling wide.

“Hey Ed! How’d the mission go? Any luc-” Maes stopped himself as he got a good look at Ed’s face, noticing how awful he truly looked. “Is something wrong? Did you get hurt?” He moved closer to him, trying to get a better view of his body for any potential injuries.

“No, I’m fine. Long night, tired.” Edward muttered the excuses before hurrying past Hughes and to Roy’s office.

Roy was seated at his desk, behind the towers of paperwork he had to do. He kept a close eye on the clock next to him, ready to tell Edward off the second he got there. He wasn’t in the best mood, as he was behind on his paperwork (like always) and he had barely slept. Roy had been expecting Edward to come in with his usual door slamming and ranting. But when Edward slipped into the office with the door closing behind him with only a soft click, Roy had almost not noticed him. It took him a moment to glance up from the paper he was signing. He narrowed his eyes at the boy. The Colonel did have to admit that he looked terrible, but figured that he was just tired.

“Twenty-five minutes late, Fullmetal. I had Hawkeye call your hotel but we got no answer.” He snaps.

“Right. Sorry.” Ed mumbled, tossing the papers onto the already cluttered desk.

Roy felt a bit shocked by Ed’s quiet entrance, tone of voice, and his apology. He would have never expected any of this out of the usually fiery and obnoxious subordinate. He tried not to focus on this though. He’s tired, probably had a long night. He reminds himself.

“Listen Fullmetal, I don’t care if you’re tired or had a rough night. That’s no excuse to be late. You have a job and you can’t just blow that off because you want to.”

“Listen Bastard. I got your damn report done. What else do you want from me?”

“Respect and some effort in your work.” Roy said impatiently.

“Whatever. I’m going back to the hotel.” Ed rolled his eyes, turning away and walking to the door.

Edward didn’t make it far before he collapsed to the floor. He fell forward and landed on his face. Roy was shocked, jumping out of his chair. He was about to start lecturing Ed again but he had passed out before he was able to.

“Fullmetal?” Roy rushed to the boy’s side, kneeling down next to him. His anger turned to worry as he looked him over. He relaxed as he didn’t see any injuries right away. He turned Ed onto his back.

“Fullmetal! Wake up!” Roy shook Ed’s shoulder roughly, starting to panic as he didn’t open his eyes. He calls for Hawkeye, feeling Ed’s forehead. “Fuck, he’s burning up.” He takes off Ed’s coat quickly before taking his shirt off to try to help cool him down. He did feel weird undressing the younger male, but considering the situation, he figured it was the logical choice. He tensed as he saw the blood smeared over his arm and chest. Tracing the blood back to the gashes.

“Dammit. Hawkeye!” He screams again.

It only took Riza another second to come running into the room. “I’m sorry, sir. I was in the bathro-” she cut herself off as she saw the two sitting on the floor.

“Roy, what happened?” Riza dropped the professionality, moving to his side.

“He passed out. He’s burning up. He must have gotten pretty banged up on the mission.” He rambled out, his eyes staying on the gashes that covered the boy’s arm and torso. “Get me a first aid kit and a damp washcloth.”

“Got it.” She got to her feet instantly and moved to the bathroom, digging around the the items.

Hawkeye returned back to him a minute later, kneeling back down and handing him the kit and cloth. Roy started by washing the blood from the alchemist’s skin so he could see the wounds better. Though he hoped that the cool cloth would also help bring his body temperature down. He wasn’t perfect or skilled at dealing with injuries, but he had had his fair share of treating his own after some missions in the past. Mustang cleaned up the wounds as carefully as he could.

“I’ll call for an ambulance.” Riza offered, still shocked and worried about Edward.

“No...Don’t.” He says hesitantly. “He doesn’t like hospitals and he’ll only find a way to leave. He may not like me but he’ll at least stay with me.”

Riza nods. “That’s a good point.”

Roy finished tending to Fullmetal’s wounds the best he could, cleaning them up and bandaging them tightly. Hawkeye cleans up as she watched the two, her brow furrowed in worry. Edward was starting to look better, some color returning to his face and his skin didn’t feel so hot. Roy decided that Ed was in good enough condition to move to the couch, thinking he would be more comfortable there too. He knelt down and shifted his arms under his knees and his back, lifting him carefully.

“Damn. For someone so little, he’s heavy.” He mumbles under his breath.

“I’m not little.” Edward grumbled, shifting in Roy’s arms. He felt pissed and embarrassed by being cared for and carried by Roy. But he had heard him talking about the hospital, and he’d rather be helped by Mustang than be forced into the hospital.

“I’m glad to see you’re awake, Fullmetal.” Roy set Edward down as carefully as he could, not wanting to cause more pain to the boy. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine.” Ed closed his eyes, relaxing against the cool leather of the couch. He would have yelled at Mustang for taking his coat and shirt off, but he was still feeling overheated.

“I wouldn’t call passing out on the floor fine.” Mustang watched him for a moment to make sure he was okay before moving to sit down at his desk. “We can leave soon. I want to get some more work done and I think you could use the rest before you move again anyway.”

“I can walk to the hotel.”

“You’re not going to the hotel.”

“Where am I going?”

“You’ll be going home with me. I need to be able to keep an eye on you since you’ll just refuse to go to the hospital. And don’t try fighting with me on this. If you do, I will take you to the hospital.” Roy added the last part after seeing Edward start to open his mouth.

Edward grumbles silently to himself, wanting to argue with Mustang on it. But he had no doubt that the older man would take him to the hospital. So he shut his mouth and closed his eyes again. He crossed his automail arm over his chest, falling asleep.  
The next time Edward woke up, he could feel a pair of strong arms snaking their way underneath him. He felt too exhausted to protest, plus he couldn’t deny that he liked the feeling. He kept his eyes shut as Roy picked him up and leaned him against his chest. Roy grabbed Ed’s coat, laying it over his bare chest before heading out of the building. It felt weird for the kid to allow himself to be carried. Roy never thought he would be be able pick him up with getting punched in the face. There was something nice about it Roy couldn’t pinpoint.

The ride to Roy’s house wasn’t anything too special. Roy had gotten Edward in the front seat, where he had fallen asleep again. He got to the house after a few minutes, picking Ed up from the car before he moves to the front door. Unlocking the door and moving inside. The house was two stories and was decorated with darker colored furniture, giving it a cozy and warm feel. Roy had bought the house pre furnished, having been planning on changing the furniture out later. But he had liked the furniture and way the house was decorated, growing attached to it.

The black-haired man moved up to the second floor and into his bedroom. He laid Edward down, looking at him. He knew that the leather pants couldn’t be comfortable, especially when he was running a fever. And his shirt and coat were soaked from blood and sweat, so he wouldn’t be putting them back on him. All of his clothes were going to be too big for the kid. He decided one of his t-shirts would be more comfortable on him. Roy moved to the dresser, digging out a plain black shirt before moving back to Ed. He felt weird about taking off the kid’s pants, but he was only trying to help him. He was quick in pulling off the black leather pants and getting the t-shirt on him.  
The t-shirt was baggy on Edward, going a little past his knees and hanging loosely off his shoulders. Ed had relaxed when Roy changed him, which helped Roy relax as well. He got a damp cloth from the bathroom, moving back to Ed to wipe the sweat from his face. He rinses the cloth out, putting it on Ed’s forehead to try to help cool him down. Ed didn’t feel as bad as earlier, but his body was still hot. Roy dug out some medicine from his cabinet, putting it down next to the table along with a glass of water.

Roy moved into the bathroom to get changed into a pair of sweatpants and a white t-shirt. He was exhausted after the long day of work and worrying about Edward, wanting nothing more than to crawl into his bed and sleep. Though he wanted to stay up for a least a while longer and either wait for Edward to wake up to get him to drink something and take the medicine or wake him up soon to take it. Roy settled into a chair next to the bed after he finished getting ready for bed. The house had plenty of guest rooms that he could have put Edward in, but Roy found that the bed in his room was the most comfortable. The older alchemist hadn’t planned on falling asleep, and didn’t realize he had until a small thump woke him up. The man jumped to his feet, looking around quickly. He had started to panic when he didn’t see Edward in the bed, until he spotted him sitting on the ground next to the bed. He moved over to the boy, kneeling down beside him.

“Are you alright, Fullmetal? You need to stay in bed.” He picked him up before he could answer, getting him back in the bed.

“Where am I?” Ed asked, his voice heavy with sleep. He had woke up terrified, not recognizing his surroundings. He had felt much better after he had seen Mustang, starting to realize he had to be at his house.

“We’re at my house. You’re safe.” Roy felt his forehead before grabbing the medicine from the nightstand. “You need to take this. It’ll help with your fever.” He was expecting Edward to put up a fight. But to his surprise, Ed simply nodded. Roy reminded himself that this wasn’t the normal Ed, but the sick, tired, and more fragile Ed that had let Roy carry him.

“How are you feeling?” Roy asked as he poured the dark syrup into a small medicine cup, holding it up to Ed’s lips. Ed was hesitant in drinking it, though he didn’t have the energy to argue about it and he just wanted to get better.

“Better, I guess.” He mumbled after forcing down the medicine. Roy shifted, sitting on the bed and putting the glass of water to his lips as well.

“You lost a lot of blood, Fullmetal. Your wounds are pretty serious and you have a fever. Understand you’re going to be out for a few days at least.”  
Ed drank the water, realizing how thirsty he was. He felt embarrassed for letting the Colonel take care of him and he hated to admit that he knew he was right. He finished the glass of water, wiping his mouth off with his automail hand. He closed his eyes, letting out a breath.

“Yeah, yeah. I know. And don’t get too excited. I’m only agreeing because I’m too tired to argue with you, Colonel Bastard.” Ed mumbled out.

“I’m glad I could get you to agree with me for once. Now get some sleep.” He sits back down in the chair, feeling relieved that Edward was doing much better than earlier.

Edward was silent for a moment, debating with himself before he opened his mouth. “You’re...You’re going to stay with me, right?” His voice suddenly sounded much quieter, and Roy was hit with the realization that Edward was still a kid.

“Of course. I’ll be right here, Ed.” Roy dropped his voice to a much softer tone as he used the boy’s real name, which was very rare for him.Mustang’s promise had helped Ed relax a considerable amount, and it wasn’t long until he was fast asleep. His chest rising and falling steadily. Roy just watched, his eyelids growing heavier until he was unable to keep them open.

Roy was the first to wake up, shocked to see he was in the bed next to Edward. The short kid pressed against his chest as he slept. Roy calmed down after a moment and pressed his hand against Ed’s forehead. The fever had gone done a good amount, but Roy was planning on giving the kid more medicine when he woke up. He would also have to change the bandages soon and make sure the wounds were clean. He wrapped his arm around Edward and held him gently. He had always cared about him, but he felt closer to him. Wondering if how he felt was how parents felt towards their kids. 


End file.
